


Qu'nichia

by Tarlan



Category: Adventure Inc.
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-01
Updated: 2008-06-01
Packaged: 2017-10-18 16:50:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/191071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Judson has an Epiphany related to his treatment of Stefan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Qu'nichia

**Author's Note:**

> Written for smallfandomfest Prompt: Judson/Stefan, Forgiveness  
> ALSO: smallfandomflsh #3: Dirty

Judson held on tighter as Stefan succumbed to the pain of his injuries, slumping into unconsciousness. The strange electrical discharge from the jade altar had shaken him badly and Stefan would have died if Judson had not grabbed hold of the man and dragged him from the jeep only moments before the rope attached to the altar snapped, shooting the jeep out of the cave and right over the edge of the cliff. Gently, Judson laid Stefan's head down on the dirty ground, running a hand through his own hair in dismay because things should never have become so bad between them. There had been a time when he had considered Stefan a close friend and confidante, someone he would willingly sail the seas with in search of lost treasures and adventure. He shook his head, still trying to figure out where they had gone wrong even though Stefan had handed him so many pieces of that puzzle during this hunt for the lost temple of Qu'nichia.

None of those pieces fitted together though, as if the corner stone of the puzzle was still missing and, without it, he simply couldn't decipher the rest.

He stood up when Mac called him over and smiled as he watched the Governor hug both his daughter and the boy she loved, recalling the way the two lovers had been possessed by the spirits of another pair of star-crossed lovers from a thousand years in the past. Many centuries ago, the jade altar standing before him should have been the focus of a happy event but when the daughter of the Sun King refused to marry the man chosen for her, her father sacrificed her upon her wedding altar in a fit of anger.

With the blessing of this father, Judson knew the spirit of E'Chala and her lover would finally rest in peace.

"Love is a powerful emotion. Beautiful isn't it?" He stated and Mac grinned before handing him the jade ring, already accepting that they would not be taking the magnificent jade altar away from this place. He grinned in return, suddenly grateful that they had survived all of Stefan's dirty tricks and found the lost temple, but he sobered instantly as his eyes sought out the unconscious man, only to discover that Stefan had disappeared.

"Stefan?"

Judson raced to the entrance of the cave but there were too many tracks leading to and from the cave, leaving him with no means of determining which way he could have gone. He startled when Mac laid a hand on his forearm.

"A bad penny always turns up."

Judson gave a wry smile. "He was never bad...just misguided."

****

Over the year that followed, he heard rumors of Stefan's whereabouts, mostly connected to treasure hunts on the other side of the world from wherever Judson was sailing, so the man remained elusive. Yet according to Judson's sources, Stefan had changed since their last encounter; no longer the bitter and twisted man who had almost killed him in a fit of jealousy during the hunt for Qu'nichia.

It had taken a while but finally he understood the source of that black emotion. During all of those times in the past, he and Stefan had worked as a team, poring over maps and books. They had dived as deep as any man could handle in search of clues and sunken treasure, and they had shared the spoils of each discovery, except for one thing. The public recognition for every find had been given to Judson Cross and his team, rarely naming Stefan as his partner in its discovery. They had shared in all the financial rewards but never the fame, with Judson taking all the credit for what had been teamwork.

Looking back over the past couple of years since Stefan walked away from him and the Vast Explorer, he realized that this hadn't changed at all, except now he took the credit for both Mac and Gabe too. He barely acknowledged their contribution publicly yet still expected them to help him pull the miracles out his head. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered why neither had seemed resentful but then, he hadn't paid any attention to Stefan's feelings before that final drunken argument that had made no sense at the time. Gabe had packed up his belongings and left a few days earlier, having finally had his fill of adventure and wanting to return to college to finish his education, or so he said.

"Judson?"

He looked up from where he sat at the mess table on-board the Vast Explorer and saw Mac frown as she sat down opposite.

"Problem?"

"Yeah. I've just had an Epiphany."

Mac's face screwed up and she rose to fetch a bottle and two shot glasses from a cabinet close by. "I think we're both going to need a drink."

He licked his lips thoughtfully as she poured out the white rum, knocking back his own drink swiftly, his eyes watering at the burn of the alcohol. With an upraised eyebrow and a wry smile, Mac refilled his glass and waited for him to reveal the source of his latest Epiphany.

"You know we're a team, right?"

"O...kay, yeah."

"And you do know I always appreciated both you and Gabe... that you're important to me?"

Mac looked confused. "Okay."

He sighed, realizing he wasn't explaining this very well. "You and Gabe deserved the limelight too... and so did Stefan."

Enlightenment filled Mac's eyes and she smiled. "In my other line of work, taking the limelight was never such a good thing," she teased, but Judson could see that she did understand by the affection in her clear eyes. Her expression sobered. "Unnecessary apology accepted.... And you know this wasn't the reason why Gabe moved on, don't you?"

Judson lifted both arms. "I don't know."

"Well, he didn't. This was never going to be a career for Gabe. He just wanted a chance to see the world and taste adventure before he dived right back into the world of academia and business. He got everything he needed...and a lot of things he wanted."

"More than he wanted on occasion," Judson chuckled.

"So...You want to go find Stefan?"

"When did you get to know me so well."

"Judson, I know you better than you know yourself. This is just the first of several epiphanies and I want to be around to see the most important one."

Intrigued, Judson smiled. "And what's that?"

Mac shook her head. "Won't be an Epiphany if I tell you!" She pushed up and moved to the door, glancing once over her shoulder. "I'll get the Vast Explorer underway. I think you'll find Stefan is not as far away as you think."

****

They sailed southwards for a full day and night, hugging the coastline for the most part before dropping anchor in a natural harbor on the other side of the large Caribbean island. The dinghy brought them to a wooden dock stretching out into the clear blue water from a sandy beach lined with gently swaying palm trees. Judson had come here often in the past with Stefan but had avoided the small fishing village and its single bar since he and Stefan parted company.

Mac hung back as they drew close to the bar, her quick tilt of her head in the general direction of the bar telling him to go on without her. He took a deep breath and walked into the shaded interior, noticing the slight stiffening of one particular figure moments before he recognized that it was Stefan. The sudden queasiness in his stomach was the same feeling he'd had in Qu'nichia when he held Stefan in his arms, the same feeling he had whenever he saw Stefan or heard his name mentioned. He thought it was a twinge of guilt, and perhaps that was a small part of what he felt but, looking into Stefan's clear brown eyes, Judson almost reeled from a second Epiphany.

He missed Stefan. He missed his company, missed hearing his voice, and he missed seeing his bright grin in pleasure when they discovered something lost for centuries. He also missed the small touches of fingers on his arm to attract his attention, of a warm hand on his shoulder...and the taste of his lips from that one time enthusiasm got the better of propriety.

Damn it! He didn't just miss the man, he loved him... and if all the signs were correct then Stefan loved him in return.

Taking another deep breath that seemed to shudder through him, Judson walked through the small bar and with a slight tilt of his head in query, he took the seat opposite Stefan. A casual glance towards the bar seemed to get a message across and the bartender brought over a clean glass.

"I always figured I was so clever," he cleared his throat, hoping to ease the shakiness from his voice. "Guess I'm not so bright after all because I only just figured it out."

Stefan remained blank-faced, giving Judson no clue to what thoughts turned behind the intense eyes.

"I'm sorry," Judson blurted out. "I took everything for granted. You, me... Us."

Stefan's face softened, lips twitching in a smile as he rose from his seat and beckoned Judson to follow. Despite everything that had happened during the hunt for Qu'nichia, the dirty tricks and the nasty threats, Judson never hesitated, allowing Stefan to lead him from the bar.

Hours later, warm and sated in Stefan's strong embrace, with his head pillowed upon Stefan's shoulder, Judson reached up blindly to caress Stefan's cheek.

"Am I forgiven?" he murmured.

Stefan grasped his wrist and brought his fingers up to smiling lips, whispering 'yes' over and over as he kissed each fingertip in turn.

END


End file.
